Apple Is Pushing To Kill Free Spotify - Report

Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL - news) has started pressuring major music labels to force Spotify to abandon free streaming, according to reports.

It wants labels to refuse to renew Spotify's licence to provide music for nothing, technology site The Verge claims.

The report comes ahead of a planned relaunch of the Beats streaming service, which Apple now owns.

Spotify has a premium tier for unlimited ad-free streaming, but most users stream music for free.

Apple has also reportedly offered to pay Universal Music Group the money is receives from YouTube if it stopped allowing its songs to be played on the video site.

The website quoted a music industry source as saying: "All the way up to (Apple chief executive) Tim Cook, these guys are cutthroat."

Apple bought Beats Electronics for $3bn (£2bn) last May, the largest acquisition in its history.

Co-founders Dr Dre and music executive Jimmy Iovine joined Apple as part of the agreement.

While the company makes iconic headphones, analysts said at the time that what Apple really wanted was the company's music streaming service.

Subscription-based music revenues are rising rapidly, while downloads started falling for the first time last year.

Apple is expected to debut its revamped streaming service at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Sky News has contacted Apple for comment.